The London Company sponsored the expedition to establish a
profitable colony. The expedition started with 144 men but only
104 survived the trip. No women were a part of the initial
expedition. In 1609, about six hundred people, including women and
children, joined the colony in the hopes of making it more like
a settlement. Other voyages brought more settlers in the years
between 1606 and 1624 expanding the population and goals of the
Jamestown colony.

The document contains information about Jamestown’s
establishment, progress, and demise under three different types
of government during the years it was managed by the Virginia
Company. The 1606 charter that allowed the settlement of
Jamestown gave the King of England and an English council
complete control over the colony. A revised charter of 1609 gave
authority over the colony to a governor who resided in England
and cooperated with a treasurer and council. The 1612 charter
gave the Virginia Company, based in England, control over the
activities in the colony. The changes in government created
tensions in the ruling parties that could not be resolved and
eventually lead to the end of the Virginia Company and its
involvement with the Jamestown Colony.

Document Note

The document was published in the Virginia Magazine of
History, I. The original is kept in London’s Public Record
Office.